Chapter 311 - A Slash
Chapter 311: A Slash
The List of Seeds is heating up?!
Tang Ling did not react differently. Even if he knew that this teenager before his eyes was one of the names on the List of Seeds, so what?
His resistance towards Tang Feng killed his interest in the List of Seeds.
But a Dream Seed? Tang Ling was slightly excited.
As for Han Xing, he grasped more information about the young prodigies better than commoners because he was from Holy Tree City.
He also acknowledged that there was a certain percentage that his opponent was the one and only Tang Long. Whenever Tang Long was mentioned, his terrifying talent would follow—the Precise Instinct.
Back in Holy Tree City, such a talent was rated with a question mark. The one who rated the talent left a remark behind the comment: ‘With my capabilities, I am unable to precisely rate this talent. It is beyond me.’
Others might not understand how scary the remark was, but Han Xing knew.
Precise Instinct was the only talent that Holy Tree City dared not rate. No matter how famous or how powerful the other talents were, they were all rated as ‘S’.
Despite knowing the possibility, Han Xing still chose to step into the ring and his reason behind his decision was simple. His old man had once told him when he was young that the set of mysterious sword techniques that Uncle Tang Feng had taught him must be trained with someone with Precise Instinct and only through this way could he hone his sword techniques.
It was difficult for others to comprehend the reminder but not Han Xing. Those who never learned the set of sword techniques would never know how mysterious it was, how it was absent of a clear stance or techniques yet possessed ridiculous power. What he trained was not the sword itself. It was the intent of the sword.
Because of that, only people with Precise Instinct were the best opponents for Han Xing to practice this set of sword techniques with because of the traits of the ability itself. It would allow the practitioner of the sword technique to understand the sword intent better.
In this whole wide world, only Tang Long was known to have Precise Instinct.
Han Xing was actually having a hard time. He was wondering where he should start looking for Tang Long and how to persuade Tang Long to fight him.
Now, the ring provided a great opportunity for Han Xing to realize his purpose. With that in mind, he excitedly drew his sword from his back, intending to start the fight by saying something, but he was stopped by the Wailing Pierrot.
“According to the rules of the Desperado Ring, you are only allowed to use the weapons on the weapon rack.” The Wailing Pierrot gave him a smile, but when coupled with his wailing face, it was a strange face to look at.
Unconcerned, Han Xing sheathed his sword back and selected his ideal sword from the rack. After he picked a sword, he pointed his fist at Tang Ling and asked, “If you don’t mind, can you fight me with a sword?”
His request attracted several debates from the audience.
Most of the audience had no idea, but there were some young geniuses beneath the ring who recognized Han Xing. Everyone knew he was a sword fanatic. His combat level was drastically different with and without a sword.
With a sword, he could be the genius of geniuses if he was serious about the fight. Without a sword, he was the lowest level among the geniuses because his speed, strength and everything else were nothing in particular.
Tang Ling felt that Han Xing’s request was peculiar.
The Wailing Pierrot then added, “The Desperado Ring upholds the value of freedom. If your opponent agrees, the two of you can set your own rules.”
As he explained, he looked at Tang Ling. “Do you agree?”
Before Tang Ling could answer, Han Xing cut in again, “Don’t worry about fairness. If I’m less than you, you can simply end me. If I’m stronger than you, I’ll adjust my level to match yours. I just want to have a simple swordfight.”
He also added, “If you are willing to fight me with a sword, no matter how this match turns out, I’ll concede at the end.”
Right after he made himself clear, the crowd went wild. Everyone thought that Han Xing had stepped into the ring just to mess around. Some of them beneath the ring displayed profound cold smiles.
Han Xing did not care about the discussions and comments about him as he looked at the Wailing Pierrot. “It’s not against the rules for me to do this, is it?”
The Wailing Pierrot had never encountered such a strange request throughout his career but strictly speaking, it was not against the rules. Conceding was the participant’s choice. No one could stop them from throwing the towel in.
Therefore, after a few seconds of thoughts, the Wailing Pierrot shook his head and said, “It’s not against the rules!”
As his voice subsided, many things were thrown into the ring, or more precisely, at Han Xing. Some people had betted on him to win, and because of his decision, they had already lost before the match even started.
Tang Ling quietly selected a sword from the rack. He gripped it tight and swung it around to adapt to the feeling. He did not know why Han Xing insisted on fighting him with a sword. As a matter of fact, Tang Ling knew nothing about swordplay.
Despite his ignorance, Tang Ling could put up a fight because of his Precise Instinct. Any weapon felt the same in his hand.
Since Han Xing had insisted, it piqued Tang Ling’s curiosity. “You said you just want a simple swordfight, so let’s make it one, but you don’t have to concede. If I lose, it’s my loss.”
“Great!” Han Xing looked delighted and agreed right away. If it was possible, he really wanted to win the 50 Black Sea coins.
Being an open-minded and upright person who was not afraid of losing and was not calculative, Han Xing felt better about Tang Ling. ‘If the person under the face cloth actually is Tang Long, he’s a really decent guy,’ he thought.
Since both sides had come to an agreement, the Wailing Pierrot started the match with a ring of the bell.
As the chime subsided, Han Xing launched his attack at Tang Ling.
Whenever Han Xing held a sword, it could no longer be considered as a weapon. It was more like an extension of his body.
He had practiced swordplay since he was young, and the first set of sword techniques that he learned was a set of deep and profound sword techniques that contained sword intent. If Han Xing claimed to be the second strongest person to wield a sword among the young geniuses, no one would be confident enough to claim the first spot.
Therefore, the first sword strike from Han Xing shocked Tang Ling.
A single sword strike from Han Xing had seven layers of changes! Every layer of change was within the calculation of his Precise Instinct, and every single layer could produce at least three different outcomes.
The moment the sword was dished out, the seven layers of changes were already hidden in the sword and it was all up to the wielder’s decision to apply the changes in the sword’s momentum however he liked.
In its current stage, the nature of the Precise Instinct was mostly calculation, followed by an accurate judgment to come up with the best outcome. It was not used to guess people’s thoughts or heart.
Therefore, if Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct failed to keep up with the changes in Han Xing’s sword momentum, he would lose. Even if he was able to keep up, if his bodily reaction could not keep up with the judgment of his Precise Instinct, he would also lose.
Han Xing’s sword was quick, so quick that it forced Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct and body to its limits instantly.
Tang Ling was aroused!
Han Xing’s eyes also glowed with a tinge of delight.
From the moment the two of them clashed, they knew they had met their match.
In the next moment, the momentum in Han Xing’s sword changed.
Tang Ling suddenly closed his eyes and he thrust his sword forward. The tip of his sword moved in a strange diagonal angle. He was not going for Han Xing or the sword in his hand. It was like he was trying to stab air.
In the next second, Han Xing’s sword suddenly stabbed towards the angle where Tang Ling’s sword thrust.
Ding!
The tip of Tang Ling’s sword landed perfectly on Han Xing’s sword, henceforth deviating the trajectory of Han Xing’s sword by a tiny bit. Immediately, Han Xing moved his sword away.
The seven layers of changes would catch the opponent off-guard, hence stopping the opponent from expecting the following outcome.
However, if the opponent could seal the wielder before the layers of changes could be applied in the sword’s momentum, the problem would be solved!
Tang Ling had top-notch battle wisdom, so the thoughts of stopping the technique clearly appeared in his mind instantaneously.
Through his Precise Instinct, Tang Ling calculated that no matter how mystifying the sword momentum could be with the seven layers of changes, the sword must be thrust towards a certain angle to allow the changes to happen. If he could stop or destroy the trajectory, he would be able to seal Han Xing’s thrust.
“Amazing.” Han Xing’s mouth curled up into a smile as he shook his wrist and lunged towards Tang Ling with his sword once more.
Right after the contact, the two of them already had a general idea of each other’s strength.
Han Xing’s strength was more potent than Tang Ling’s, but Tang Ling was quicker. His superior body control and reflex speed allowed him to seize a larger advantage. Even if the two of them fought using normal ways, they would be evenly matched.
However, Han Xing was a gentleman. After he sensed that his strength was stronger than Tang Ling, he lowered his strength to around Tang Ling’s level in his next thrust.
Tang Ling’s fondness of Han Xing increased when he sensed the politeness. He decided to respond to Han Xing’s politeness with his sincerity.
In the next instant, Tang Ling’s Precise Instinct worked swiftly and Han Xing’s second strike was once again stopped before he could truly launch his sword.
A tinge of doubt flashed within Han Xing. He was able to grasp a tiny bit of inspiration after being stopped twice by Tang Ling, but this bit of inspiration was not very obvious. Could this be the benefit of fighting someone with Precise Instinct?
Truth be told, Han Xing was more excited than doubtful about the fight. Strike after strike, he relentlessly attacked Tang Ling.
The sword technique that he knew was performed to its maximum potential. The changes in his sword momentum were mystifying, yet every strike was connected to one another seamlessly.
On the contrary, Tang Ling’s sword strike had no technique. Every single one of his strikes had to wait for Han Xing’s attack before he could stop perfectly.
With his Precise Instinct operating at maximum capacity, Tang Ling heightened his spirit and concentrated on stopping Han Xing’s attack, but as he continued, he recognized that his comprehension of the weapon grew a little deeper.
However, as his comprehension of swordsmanship got deeper, he realized he was seriously inadequate to the point that he could not perform an offensive attack with it. All he could do was rely on his Precise Instinct to stop Han Xing’s strikes.
Han Xing was engaged in an arduous battle. The more he knew about Precise Instinct, the more he wanted to challenge it. His opponent had no techniques at all, yet the ability alone allowed his opponent to stop every single one of his techniques.
No technique?!
Han Xing’s realization instantly grew deeper.
Tang Ling was not having the best time either. He could stop Han Xing’s attack, but he could not make a stand in swordplay or even launch an offensive strike.
However…
Tang Ling closed his eyes as his mind replayed every strike that Han Xing performed from the start of the fight quickly. Meanwhile, his hand holding the sword did not stop defending Han Xing’s attacks either.
With Precise Instinct came attention-dividing! It was one of the high-tier exercises of the talent.
On the surface, it was used to see through Han Xing’s attack and stop it before it could happen. On a deeper level, it was used to analyze Han Xing’s sword to capture the core nature of the attacks.
Han Xing wanted to unleash a single strike of freedom, a freedom strike that he could swing along with his will and momentum, a strike that surpassed his previous technique and removed the obstacle in his trajectory.
Tang Ling also wanted to unleash a single strike, not to stop the attack but a single strike from his mastery of a certain profound and mysterious nature.